Psychopathic Tendencies 101
by Nemorian
Summary: All I wanted was peace... but, like clockwork after another five years, my life is flushed down the ol' irradiated toilet. A regulator with a grudge, a trigger-happy merc, a vaultborn lunatic... I know I'm not a saint, but do I really deserve this crap?
1. A Simple Settler

The morning sun slipped through the many holes in the walls of the Megaton common house, making a spotted pattern of light across the floor, beds... and my eyelids. I groaned, rolling onto my side and turning my back to the punctured wall in an attempt to ignore the sunrise and go back to sleep. It might have worked, if not for the person on the bunk above mine who was snoring louder than a ripper trying to cut through rock.

I yawned, slowly opening my eyes and sitting up. I mindlessly attempted to wipe some of the black grime off my white shirt and brown slacks, paying no mind to the fact it was firmly ground into the fabric. It was more of a morning ritual than anything, as was my normal pep-talk. I stood up, stretched, and walked over to one of the more sizable holes in the side of the building that overlooked the slope into the crater the town was built around.

"Another day of scavenging, radiation and raiders. What's not to love about life in the capitol wasteland?" I muttered to myself in a sarcastic tone. Oh yeah, very peppy. I reached into my pocket and counted up how many bottlecaps I had left, before heading out to get some breakfast.

---

I followed the path down into the crater, slowing to listen to Confessor Cromwell as he stood in front of the bomb that was stuck in the middle of town. He was preaching on about the power of atom, or some such nonsense. I just rolled my eyes and kept on walking to the Brass Lantern, my favorite place in town to grab a meal. Granted the only competition was Moriarty's Saloon, but that place wasn't somewhere I liked to visit on a regular basis. Nova always tried to get me to order her... _services_. Gob, though nice enough for a ghoul, always put me off eating from the smell of rot. As for Moriarty himself, I find my thoughts turning dark and bloody whenever he's around.

"Good morning!" Jenni, one of the three Stahl siblings that ran the Brass Lantern, said brightly as I approached. She was wearing her yellow jumpsuit, as usual. Hard to miss among the drab surroundings, even if it was just as stained as everything else.

I grunted in response, not feeling very sociable. I never did in the morning.

She just smiled at me, probably too used to my morning demeanor by now to think much of it. "Big day ahead of you?"

"No idea." I muttered, sitting down on one of the stools along the bar out front. I ordered my breakfast from Jenni, and continued to half-listen to Cromwell's speech. I was used to just tuning his voice out. After all, he made the same sermon almost every day.

"You hear about the new arrivals in town?" Jenni asked, setting my food on the bar. Snack cakes and a Nuka-Cola. Make any comment you like about the lack of nutrition, but I've found no better way to wake up in the morning than the caffeine and sugar rush that combo provides.

"I don't pay much attention to people passing through." I said tiredly, before cramming one of the cakes into my mouth.

"Me either, but people visiting the Lantern have been talking. Apparently a couple people showed up on the same day, and still haven't left. Like they're waiting around for something." She said, leaning on the bar. "You've heard of Regulators, right?"

I gave her an annoyed look, popping the cap off my Nuka-Cola. Who hadn't heard of the Regulators? They were a group of people that went around gunning down anybody with a less than favorable reputation. I wasn't too fond of them, to be honest. Of course, the fact that they'd taken their fair amount of shots at me in the past might have made me a little biased. I'm just glad they thought I was dead again, or I'd probably still be on the run from them.

Jenni took my expression as a yes. "There's one of them in town. An old friend of the Sheriff, apparently. Someone named Katharine."

I choked on my cola. "Katharine? Are you sure?" I asked between coughs.

She raised an eyebrow. "You know her?"

"Maybe." I muttered. A Regulator named Kathrine? Damn right I knew her. She was the only one that managed to come after me countless times and survive. The woman had a lucky streak, and probably a lot of spite toward me at this point. I'd lost track of how many Regulators I'd gunned down around her. That was a long time ago though. If it was her, maybe she wouldn't remember my face.

And maybe someone would find a Yao Guai cute.

I rubbed my forehead, taking a swig of cola. "And the other arrivals?"

"A mercenary. I don't know his name, but he's not the chatty type. There're rumors that he's going to start trouble."

"If he's a merc, he's _bound_to cause trouble. I just hope he's not one of those Talon psychopaths. Those people usually end up on my bad side." I said, thoughts drifting through another lifetime. I had too many of the damn things. And it seemed like I could never stick with one for more than five years... which fit perfectly since I'd been staying in Megaton for about that long. Damn it.

"You bumped into Talon guys in the wastes?" Jenni asked, looking very skeptical. "No offense, but you don't look like you could fight a group of them and live."

"You'd be surprised." I said simply, looking toward the path to the city gate. The thought of Katharine in town was making me nervous. Leaving town for a few days might be a good idea. I was still on good terms with a couple people out in the wastes, they might let me stay with them if I had to.

Someone walking down the path I was watching caught my attention. They were wearing a dirty blue jumpsuit, bloodstains apparent on their right side and sleeve, but by the way they were moving it wasn't theirs. Or they were dosed up to the eyeballs on Med-X. They must've caught the sheriff's attention too, since I saw Simms approach to give them what I figured would be his normal welcome speech and warning.

I turned back to my breakfast, not really interested. I ate another cake and looked at Jenni, who was focused on Simms and the newcomer. "I thought you didn't pay attention to wanderers."

She didn't reply, she just kept staring at them. I thought she looked worried, though I don't know why. People came through all the time, it was nothing exciting. I finished my last cake and stood up, taking the half-bottle of Nuka-Cola with me as I left Jenni to gawk.

---

The paths in Megaton, in my opinion, were far from straightforward. It took me two months to get used to them, and I still get turned around occasionally. I got up to a path overlooking the bomb and stopped, leaning against the rusty railing. I scanned the town slowly. Rusty and decrepit buildings, leaky water pipes, bomb-worshipping oddballs... but still a nice place to live, which was hard to come by in a wasteland. I didn't want that to be screwed up by anyone. Especially not me.

"Jump already, the suspense is killing me." Someone behind me said.

I spun around, reaching for a gun I didn't have on instinct. My hand closed on air as my eyes fell on the man behind me. A buzzed haircut, rough beard, battered metal armor, the butt of a chinese assault rifle visible over his shoulder... and a very unpleasant voice to match his scowling face.

"Morning, Jericho." I said, relaxing. He might have been an asshole, but we got along. Hell, we used to work together before we both gave up the raider gig. Of course, he'd just retired... I'd moved on to other, some might say evil, things. "Off for your morning drink at Moriarty's Saloon?"

"Damn right I am." He said with a laugh. The smell of alcohol drifted on his breath, probably from his morning drink at home. Same as when he was a raider... old habits really do die hard. "You off to do another job for that crazy bitch?"

I glared at him. "Maybe, but you don't need to call her that."

He just shrugged. "You want to work for nut jobs like her, that's your business. I need to get back to mine."

"Drinking?"

"Damn right." And with that, he walked off.

I watched him go for a few moments before letting out a sigh. I tossed my empty bottle over the railing and hurried off to Craterside Supply.

---

The door opened with a creak, but I doubt anyone heard it over the yelling.

"Damn it, Moira! What the hell is in this thing?!"

"It's just some batteries, I don't know what you're so worked up about."

"Just batteries?! This thing must weigh a ton!"

"Don't be silly. There's only about fifty in there, so it's only a quarter of a ton at the most."

I stepped inside the shop, watching the two of them. Moira was standing near the console along the wall, watching as her mercenary struggled with a metal box. Neither of them had noticed me.

"Damn it, I'm supposed to just watch the store. How the hell am I supposed to guard the place if I break both my arms carrying your overweight shit?!" The Mercenary snapped, though with a very strained voice.

"That's what stimpacks are for." She said, sounding chipper as usual. I don't think I've ever seen her mad. I don't think I'd want to. "Or you could always try the new superstim I'm working on. That'll give you a great boost!"

There was a heavy thud as the mercenary dropped the box along the wall. "After the last thing you gave me, forget it. Your superstim would probably make my eyeballs explode."

"Now there's something I'd love to see." I commented.

The mercenary looked over his shoulder, glaring at me. "Shut it. I'm not in the mood to listen to your shit today."

"Always a pleasure, Jack." I said with a wave, walking over to Moira. "Got another mission that borders on suicidal for me today?"

"I'm afraid not." She said with a smile. "Jack and I are going out of town for a few days, so if you need anything, you'd better get it now."

"Out of town?" I raised an eyebrow. "You?"

"I know, I know. It's unheard of for me to leave my workshop for more than a few minutes, but I've been meaning to take a trip to Rivet City for a long time. Something tells me today is the day to do it." She walked behind the counter, opening a box behind it and shuffling through what sounded like bits of metal.

_You and me both, Moira._ I thought, scratching my head. "Did you manage to finish up repairs on my gun?"

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about that!" She closed the box she was looking through and reached into a drawer built into the counter. "Got it right here. Took me forever to find that old piece I had, sorry about that."

"And here I thought this was ordered chaos." I glanced around the room. Various parts lay strewn about on the floor and by the walls. Boxes were stacked oddly and a couple had tipped over, adding more onto the floor. The shelves were a mess with tools and scrap. There wasn't even a toolbox in sight. Now that I thought about it, as bad as her place had looked in the past, it seemed worse today. A lot worse. "Housekeeping problems?" I asked casually.

"Something like that." Moira laughed, holding out my gun.

I took it and gave it a once-over. It's not that I didn't trust Moira, I just like to know my weapons are in good working order. Normally I take care of repairs myself, but when it came to a broken silencer, I didn't have many options. Damn that raider and his sledgehammer to hell. I wiped some of the grease off the barrel, which had come from Moira's hands, and slipped the silenced 10mm into the holster on my belt. "Thanks a bunch."

"No problem. Need anything else?" She inquired, going back behind the counter and looking through one of the shelves.

I blinked at her, wondering if she was okay. Either she was worried, distracted, or excited about something, I figured. She usually paid more attention to visitors, occasionally talking their ears off until they left. So far she'd only said anything in reply. It was strange. Then again, if she was going to Rivet City, she probably just wanted to make sure everything was in order. I brushed the thought aside, the odd conversation with Jenni and thought of Katharine was probably just making me nervous enough to be jumping at nothing.

"Nope. Have fun on your trip, Moira." I said, heading out of the shop. "Good luck to you too, Jack." A cheerful goodbye and irritated grunt came from behind me just before the door closed. I had two more stops to make before heading out of town. Hopefully Katharine wouldn't be at either.

---

I peeked inside Moriarty's Saloon. Nova was in her usual spot, being chatted up by Jericho. The guy didn't waste any time... another thing that hadn't changed. Gob was staring down at the counter, wiping it with a cloth and looking as he usually did. Decayed and depressed. Working for that bastard Moriarty, I could hardly blame him. Though it's not like he had a choice in the matter. There were a few other people sitting at tables, drinking even this early. Moriarty, however, was nowhere in sight. Things were looking up.

"Morning, Gob." I said, walking in and planting myself on the nearest barstool. They were all empty, as usual. Looking at a ghoul and trying to eat were two activities that didn't go together well for most people.

Gob's expression perked up a little upon seeing me. I was probably one of the few people in town that didn't treat him like crap. I'd seen enough ghouls in my life to feel the same way about them as anyone else. If they weren't trying to kill me, or didn't generally piss me off, I liked them.

"Hey there, what can I get ya?" He asked, his voice raspy, like all ghouls.

I felt around in my pocket, trying to remember how many caps I had left after blowing half of them on breakfast. "I'll take two... no, three bottles of whiskey."

He stared at me for a moment. I'd never asked for one drink this early, let alone three, so I could understand his surprise. "Expecting company, or having a bad morning?" He wondered, setting aside his cloth.

I leaned on the counter, arms crossed. "Yes on both counts. I'm hoping to avoid the company part though, so I won't be sticking around."

"Right." He muttered, heading to the storage fridge in back.

I heard the door to the tavern creak open, and felt a tingle across the back of my neck. I don't know how to explain it, really, but after all the hell I've seen and caused in the wastes, my instinct for danger has become pretty sharp. Half the time I don't know what's causing it, either. Maybe I've got a sixth sense about things... or I'm just overly paranoid. Probably the latter.

Gob had returned and set three bottles of whiskey on the counter. I was reaching for my caps when a very familiar voice came from my right.

"Good God, I've heard of heavy drinkers before but all that this early? Crazy." It commented.

My heart skipped a beat or three, and I suppressed the urge to run. Not that it took much to stop me, my legs had stiffened so much I thought they had merged with the barstool for a second. I swallowed, taking a couple deep breaths and trying to relax.

"You okay? You're looking a little pale, there, buddy."

I chanced a glance at her, offering a very forced smile. "Oh yeah, just dandy. Mornings are just a bitch, ya know?" I said with a dry laugh.

A woman with shoulder-length red has was sitting on the barstool to my right, her left hand tucked into the pocket of her duster and a look of concern on her face. "You're not gonna puke, are ya?" She inquired.

_Maybe..._

"No, no... just feeling a little off. Nothing to worry about." I said quickly, grabbing the bottles of whiskey and pocketing two of them. "See you around, Gob." I forced my legs to detach from the barstool and hurried out the door at a speed just short of a sprint.

---

My mind was a blur as I left the saloon. Katharine hadn't realized who I was, thankfully. I just hadn't realized how much she scared the hell out of me before now. She hadn't been threatening at all back there, and I still freaked out. Was it the thought of my semi-peaceful life being blown to hell? The memories of my lives long past being brought back that I simply wanted to forget? Or, maybe, it was just because no matter how many shells I fired, grenades I threw and clips I emptied in her direction over so many years, the woman just wouldn't _die_.

I shook my head and kept moving down the winding paths until I found myself outside the water processing plant. My legs took me exactly where I wanted to go, even in that panicked state. To me it was more proof I just wanted to get out of Megaton, fast. I wasn't one to argue with instinct.

I pushed the plant door open and walked in. "Hey, Walter, I'm not gonna be able to help with the... repairs for..." I trailed off, my mind slowly whirring away from Katharine to the sight before me. It took me a few seconds to understand I was seeing something like that in a relatively quiet town like Megaton.

Walter was on his knees, bent over and grasping one of the water pipes, staring at me with a terrified look in his eyes. A woman was behind him, one foot planted on Walter's left calf, which had a long, bloody slash running down it. She was holding a combat knife in her left hand and a bloodstained sword in her right, the tip pressed against Walter's back.

I noticed her clothing before her face, since it was familiar. Blue with blood covering the right sleeve and side. It was the person Simms had approached earlier. She was looking at me, clearly surprised I had walked in on them. Maybe just as surprised as me.

She looked down at Walter, who was trembling. I could tell she was thinking things over, quickly weighing her options. Something told me she'd had to do it before. It only took her a couple seconds to make up her mind, but what she decided on took me by surprise.

She laughed.

It was a crazy person's laugh... and not a cheerfully crazy one like Moira's. It was cold enough to freeze water. It said more in a breath than words could in a lifetime. She'd killed before... a lot... and I was willing to bet she enjoyed it every time. She looked up at me, long black hair covering her right eye but not obscuring the twisted grin on her face.

"I do so hate interruptions." She said calmly, turning her attention back to Walter. Her fingers tightened and she plunged the sword into his back, not stopping until it had gone all the way through him and struck the floor. He let out a cry of pain, losing his grip on the pipe and landing flat on the ground as she tore the blade out of him. I took a step back, watching in horror as she brought the sword down on him two more times before he finally fell silent.

"That takes care of one little problem." She rested the blade on her shoulder and turned her frigid gaze to me. "Now for the other one."


	2. Planted

You know, when you live as long as I have, you learn a few things. How to assemble a makeshift frag mine, why not to visit Old Olney, why you _never_ want to accept a job from Moira Brown... but most of all you learn to trust your instincts. Which is why when I saw the woman that had just ruthlessly murdered Walter heading in my direction, I allowed them to take over... and I ran for my freakin' life, out the door and down the pathway to the city gate.

Call it cowardice if you like, but running is one of the ways I'd survived on the wastes for so long. Not to mention my gun wasn't loaded, so that might have had something to do with it. Stupid me for not remembering to load the thing after getting it back from Moira.

I rounded the corner of a building, praying the maniac wasn't behind me, and slammed headlong into someone. We both ended up on the ground, judging by the thump I heard before landing and rolling a few feet away. I let out a groan and looked up as a very irritated voice snapped at me.

"Damn it man, what the hell are you doing running around like that?!" Lucas Simms was pushing himself to his feet, brushing the dirt off his duster and straightening his hat.

I tilted my head, watching the corner of the building behind him for any signs of a psychopath coming around it. Simms looked at me for a second, noticed I was watching the corner, turned and took a step, looking around it. I half-expected to see a flash of steel and crimson, and the Sheriff's head to plop onto the ground. Luckily it looked like I hadn't been followed, since he just turned back to me.

"You drunk or somethin'?" He asked, walking over to help me up.

I shook my head and got to my feet, understanding why he had asked that. My hand was still clenched around the third bottle of whiskey I'd got at Moriarty's. Which I just realized I never paid for. Oops. Though I suppose stolen booze was the least of my problems right now.

"Not drunk, Sheriff. Running from a murderer." I muttered rather breathlessly. My chest was tight. I wondered if I had even inhaled between witnessing the murder and now.

Simms' eyes widened a bit. "You say there's been a murder? Where?" He asked quickly, whipping the assault rifle off his back.

"The water plant."

Simms swore, turning and running off before I could say anything else. I hesitated a moment, wondering if I should keep going to the gate or go try to help him. If I ran and the psycho was gone, it'd probably make me look suspicious. Of course, if they were still there, they might decide to take out the sheriff too. That would be bad... for a number of reasons.

It was my turn to swear at what was happening. I took my gun, dropped the bottle of whiskey into the holster for lack of anywhere else to put it, and slid a full clip into the pistol before taking off after Simms.

---

I got there a bit late. The sheriff was already crouched over Walter's body and the place looked empty. I kept my pistol out though, just in case, and moved inside with my back to the wall so I could see the door out and the room in back without having to turn my head much. "You check the back?"

"Empty." Simms muttered, standing up. "Who the hell did this?"

I leaned on the wall, still having some trouble breathing. "You remember the woman you stopped this morning? The one with blood on the right half of her outfit?"

"_She _did this?!" Simms said in disbelief. "She seemed like a nice enough kid when I spoke to her. Polite and all. Damn it."

I slid down into a sitting position, my mind drifting through what impact would be made by Walter's death. It was pretty obvious. "I hope someone else in this town can handle repairs. If this place falls apart, the town's in big trouble."

Simms nodded, looking down at Walter for a few moments, then turning to me. "I heard you helped him with repairs sometimes."

"Yeah." I mumbled. Then realized what he was getting at. I quickly stood back up, shaking my head. "No. No way, Simms. I was on my way out of town, and I don't have the skill to keep this whole place up. I don't know half of what Walter did to keep it running!"

"If this plant stops working, Megaton's in deep shit. We need someone to make repairs, and you're the best bet right now." He said sternly. "It's only until I can find someone else to take over."

I started to protest again, but Simms didn't give me a chance.

"Now make sure this place isn't going to blow up or something, and I'll find someone to help with Walter's body." He said, before striding out the door and leaving me alone. Well, alone aside from the corpse. I hoped.

I sighed, accepting that my plans had gone to hell. As usual, given the time-frame. I leaned my head against the wall and took the whiskey from my holster, popping the lid off with my teeth since I still wasn't ready to put away my pistol. I raised the bottle and closed my eyes. "Happy birthday to me." I murmured, before downing it all.

---

I went over the pipes, gauges, and various other bits I had no idea what were used for or what were called, and came to a conclusion. Walter was a superhuman genius. How the hell he kept that place from crumbling around him was beyond me. From what I could tell, there was enough work for three people minimum... and he did it on his own, only occasionally getting help from myself or other settlers. I was able to figure out the main things to watch, I think, but some of the gauges kept jumping and I had no idea what it meant. Probably nothing good.

It was still a mystery when Simms came back to get the body. With Katharine, no less. I made sure to busy myself with one of the unknown gauges at the far side of the room. Close enough to hear them, but hopefully far enough away to not draw attention to myself.

"Oh damn. Whoever did this wanted him dead all right." I heard Katharine comment.

"Why do you say that?" Simms asked.

"Look here, the stab wounds. This one must've punctured his liver, and these are right over his lungs. The killer must have some medical training or something to know right where to aim."

The sheriff grumbled a reply, but I couldn't understand it since a pipe nearby made a strained gurgling sound. I bent over to investigate, and didn't notice the footsteps approaching.

Katharine's voice came from right behind me, and I almost had a heart attack. "You found the corpse, huh?"

I hesitated, both to wonder if she was going to accuse me of wasting poor Walter, and to make sure my heart was still beating. "Yeah..."

"Any idea why this guy you saw would kill him?" She asked, her tone even.

"It was a woman, and no. Walter was a nice guy, he kept this place from falling apart." I looked around at the pipes, then back at the one that was starting to make gurgling noises again. "There's no reason to want him dead."

"Are you sure?" She pushed. I felt like pushing her back, maybe with the spare lead pipe that was laying nearby. Of course that wouldn't end well, so I just sighed.

"Yes I'm..." I looked at the lead pipe again, a thought crossing my mind. Maybe there was a point. The lunatic chick could have tried carving up anyone in town, but she chose Walter. Was it simply bad luck he was alone in here, or...

The gurgle from the pipe turned into a creaking, cutting off my train of thought. A part started rattling and leaking... something I'd seen happen here before. Which is why I dove to the side. Unfortunately for Katharine, she didn't know, and I didn't bother trying to warn her since I was still holding a bit of a grudge for all the times she tried to kill me. There was a sharp crack and burst of water from the pipe as one of the bolts holding it together shot off, careening off the wall, ceiling and Katharine's forehead.

She dropped like a rock, I got drenched, Simms shouted something I couldn't hear over another bolt shooting off, and general chaos ensued for the next hour or so. Thankfully it cut off Katharine's line of questioning, since she had to be dragged to the local clinic. I spent the rest of the day making sure no more pipes exploded and looking over my shoulder to see if the lunatic was coming to get me next.

---

I groaned as I woke up, my arms aching from tightening pipes and sleeping on the cold metal floor. I have no idea when I fell asleep, but I must've been out for a while. I was sure it was fairly bright yet when I last looked out the window. Now the sunlight creeping in was dimmer, and coming from the opposite wall. It must've been morning.

Grumbling to myself about my new job and the lack of food I ate yesterday, I pulled one of the bottles of whiskey from my pocket and took a swig. I choked on it since my normal morning drink was water or cola, and wondered how Jericho could drink from dawn til dusk like it's nothing. Years of practice, I expect. I gave the gauges a quick look, ignoring the jumpy ones for now, and left for the Brass Lantern.

I didn't make it two feet outside before my day began its downward spiral.

Katharine was sitting in a chair just outside the plant, a large bruise above her right eyebrow. I froze as she glared at me. "Thanks a bunch for telling me the pipe was going to blow." She said her voice thick with sarcasm and anger.

"I got out of the way, you'd think most people would have known something bad was about to happen and moved." I said with a shrug, closing the door rather firmly and walking away. If I kept moving, maybe she'd leave me alone.

She didn't respond, but I did hear her stand up and footsteps coming after me. So much for being left alone. She fell into step beside me, leaning forward and staring at me. "I do have a few questions for you."

I kept my eyes on the path ahead. "Like?"

"Like why you look so damned familiar." She said, narrowing her eyes. "I swear I've seen your face before."

So she did recognize me. Damn it all. I looked over the railing, away from her. It was too early for my brain to come up with anything close to a valid response, so I let my mouth go on autopilot. "You sure that's not just an excuse to follow me around? Hate to break it to ya, but I'm not interested."

Her footsteps faltered. "What?"

"Don't get me wrong, you're not bad looking, but I tried dating before and it never worked out. Plus, considering my most recent relationship was with someone totally insane, I don't think you can blame me for not wanting another so soon."

"What the hell?! That's not what-"

I didn't give her a chance to derail the topic. "If that's why you're in Megaton, you might try Andy Stahl, he's a nice enough guy. Maybe Gob, if you don't mind the whole ghoul condition. Hell, if you're just looking for a fling and have the caps I bet Nova would be available, if you're into that kinda thing." I glanced at her, and she didn't look at all happy. I guess Regulators don't have much of a sense of humor.

"Damn it, I'm not here for... _that_." Katharine snapped. "I'm just here looking for that maniac!"

"You didn't hear? Moira left town yesterday for Rivet City."

"Not her, the one that killed Walter!"

I stumbled a bit at hearing that, coming to a stop. "You knew about her?"

"I've been after the bitch for two months, ever since she left her vault she's been causing chaos. Killing wastelanders, slaughtering Arefu... whatever she was thinking when she went to Big Town, I have no idea." Katharine shook her head, beginning to pace back and forth along the pathway.

The name brought back memories. More recent ones, thankfully. I went out there on occasion when the mood struck. I think my last visit had been about five months ago. It was one of those few places where nobody would shoot at me due to... past actions. "What happened to Big Town?"

Katharine shook her head. "From the reports we got, the Vaultie rescued a couple of their people from super mutants and helped defend the town after she got them back. It looked like she might be turning away from the path of destruction... then she turned around and enslaved them all."

I flinched at the mention of enslavement, having been a slave when I was a kid. The memories were blurred, but the emotions weren't. Fear, anger, hate. I probably would have charged into Paradise Falls with guns blazing a long time ago, but I was just pissed, not suicidal. Of course, with the thought of everyone in Big Town being held there, the idea wasn't sounding as bad.

Something else crossed my mind though. Something that brought back my urge to try and gun down Katharine where she stood.

"You knew she was coming to this town?" I asked quietly, unconsciously running my fingers along my pistol's grip.

"I had an idea she might, that's why I came to check things out." She said, continuing to pace. "I was hoping to stop her before she tried anything here."

"You know what she looks like?" Rage was starting to build as I put the pieces together in my head, but it didn't get into my voice.

Katharine nodded, her focus on the ground as she moved. "Yes. I got a look at her face a couple times from a distance, and once through the scope of my .44." She gave the gun at her hip a pat before crossing her arms. "Missed, obviously, but burned the face of that lunatic into my head."

"You idiot." I growled. Katharine stopped, looking at me. My gun was out of its holster and aiming at her before either of us realized it.

"You fucking idiot!" I yelled, planting the barrel against her forehead. She froze, her eyes widened in surprise and shock. "You knew what she looked like, but you didn't tell Simms?! God damn it, Katharine! If you had done that, Walter might still be breathing!"

Her mouth opened slightly, but no words came. I guessed at what she was going to say.

"If you're wondering how I know you didn't tell Simms, it's pretty obvious by the fact I saw him talking to her yesterday morning. If he had known..." I took a couple deep breaths, trying to calm down. It didn't help.

"I didn't want to start a panic." She said calmly, despite being an inch from having a bullet in her head. Maybe less after that response.

"Panic? You really are a damned idiot. You think Simms would tell the whole town? Hell no, he would've told Stockholm and they would've both been watching for her too. She never would have gotten into town!"

She gave me a look that suggested she hadn't thought of that. Damned Regulators, thinking people in the wastes are either stupid and needed protecting or nuts and needed shooting. At least that was my view of them. Bastards.

I wanted nothing more than to pull the trigger. Not just because of recent events, but also from all the hell she and her Regulator buddies put me though before. We were in a fairly secluded spot along the city wall, and anyone around would have said something by now. Point blank range, a silencer, a killer around town... nobody would be any the wiser if I splattered her brains on the ground here and now. All it would take is one little twitch.

"Damn it all to hell." I muttered through clenched teeth, before slamming my gun back into its holster and stomping off back to the water plant. I was in no mood to try and eat after that.

My mind was racing when I got back. I gave the door a firm kick and it flew open, not having been latched. I hesitated at the entrance, sure I had closed it all the way when I left. Then I heard an all too familiar beeping.

"Shit!" I cried, turning to run. I didn't make it far enough when the plant was blown apart by a series of explosions, and I was sent soaring by the blast.

I slammed into the railing, bending the metal out and barely managing to grab on before I fell over the edge. My legs were in so much pain they didn't want to move, and my side hurt enough to suggest the impact had busted a rib or two, which made it a lot harder to hang on. I glanced down at the roof below. It was a long drop, probably too long. With both my my legs feeling like they did, I doubted I could make a decent landing.

The railing let out a whining creak, and snapped in half at a very rusty patch of metal just to the left of where I was hanging on. I dropped as the piece I was still grasping bent under my weight. Thankfully it didn't break off, but the sudden stop made my hands slip down, a sharp edge from where it broke slicing into my left palm. I pulled my hand away out of reflex, and my remaining hand began sliding down as well. I made a grab for the edge of the path with my bloodied hand, but it was just out of reach. I felt a sharp pain as my fingers slipped off the end of the broken railing, and I fell.


	3. Memories, Meds and Exploding Heads

I sat on the edge of my bed, feet barely touching the carpet. I tilted the book in my hands slightly, so the sun pouring in through the open window would let me read, even though I couldn't really see what it was. The pictures were blurry, and the text looked like black globs. It wasn't just the book, though... looking around the room, I couldn't make out any details.

I heard something and jumped off the bed, tossing the book under my mattress before going to the window and looking out. The landscape was just as blurred as everything else, but I could at least tell I was on the second floor. I turned leave the room and saw someone standing in the doorway. They took a step forward, and I woke up yelling.

---

My vision was blurred as I looked around the room, but everything came into focus in a few blinks. I was in a small room with a few beds and a single door that had just swung open. Katharine rushed in, gun raised. I reacted on instinct, rolling out of the bed to make a dive at her, but never made it off the floor. I landed on my side with a cry of pain, my body throbbing. I faintly heard Katharine's voice over the pounding in my ears, but easily felt where she grabbed me since it seemed to amplify the agony tenfold.

Once I was finally back on the bed and the amount of groans, complaints and assorted foul language coming out of my mouth had reached a minimum, I glanced at Katharine. She was sitting on one of the other beds, watching me carefully.

"Done whining now?" She asked.

I glared at her. "My legs are immobile from pain, my hands and arms ache, my left side is throbbing, my head feels like it was stepped on by Deputy Weld, and my ass is killing me." I laid my head back on the mattress and closed my eyes. "There, I'm done."

She didn't answer for a few seconds, and I dared to hope she might just leave. She didn't. "Would you mind explaining what happened?"

I sighed. "When?"

"Why you yelled 'get away from me' a few seconds ago for a start."

"Bad dream." I said with a shrug, regretting the movement before it was over.

"And what happened at the plant?"

"Plant?" My thoughts idled for a moment, then things started to come back. The explosion, hanging from the railing, slipping... and then having my life flash before my eyes. At least, that's what I thought was happening at the time, even though it was just Katharine's face. For some insane reason, even though I had come within two millimeters of killing her a few minutes beforehand, she had grabbed my wrist and hoisted me back onto the path before I ended up as a stain on the roof I had been hanging over.

Saved from death by my worst enemy. How humiliating. No way was I going to let that off with a straight answer.

"The place went up in smoke, in case you didn't notice. I'm sure the blast could be both seen and heard everywhere in town. Of course, it looks like I was the only one lucky enough to feel it." I said, glancing at the empty beds. Now that my mind had settled a bit, I realized I had to be in Doc Church's clinic. Though the lack of patients was a change, he usually had at least one.

"What caused it?" She was taking my evasive commentary in stride. Damn her. "Are you really that bad of a handyman?"

"I wasn't working at that place long enough to prove how inept I am with a wrench. Even if I was, no way in hell would bad repairs end like that." I muttered, trying to remember exactly what happened. "Someone rigged the place to blow. That beeping I heard when I opened the door, it was a mine. And there had to be a lot more judging by the size of the blast."

"So you think it was someone who was handy with bombs?" She inquired, and I couldn't help noticing the suspicion in her voice and expression. She wasn't exactly hiding it very well.

I just laughed, despite the pain it caused in my chest. "Handy? Far from it. That was amateur work at best. Anyone with a decent amount of demolitions knowledge could have set it up so it would have taken out the pipes without turning the whole building into shrapnel. Then again, explosives in general were overkill to disable that place. Taking a gun to the machinery would be more than enough."

"Is that right?" Her tone remained the same. "So you think the goal was to shut down the plant?"

"It's the only reason I can think of." I said, closing my eyes again. "Now if you're done interrogating me, would you tell Doc Church to get in here and drug me up or something? I'd like to be able to move without wanting to pass out from the pain."

Katharine let out what sounded like a snort of laughter and the word "Wimp." as she stood up and headed out the door.

---

I was stuck in an empty room apart from Doc Church's occasional bedside manner-free visits to check up on me. Pain shot through my body whenever I tried to move, since some dirtbag stole Church's supply of Med-X and Doc Hoff's caravan hadn't passed by and given him a chance to restock it. Not to mention the fact that I was slowly being driven insane. Not by the lack of anything to do other than sleep, but because of the holes in the wall and the fact one of them faced the bomb in the center of town, allowing Confessor Cromwell's voice to drift inside. After countless hours of hearing him preach, I could have sworn I did fall off that railing, died, and that this was my own, personal hell.

When the Doc finally got his hands on some Med-X, I thought I had been in there for a month at the least, but it turned out it was only a couple days. A couple days I was probably glad to miss. There was a lot of chaos after the explosion, according to what little info I got out of Doc Church. Apparently I wasn't the only one that got caught up in the explosion. When they were going through the debris, they found pieces of a charred corpse here and there. Although nobody could tell who it was just by looking at the meaty chunklets left behind, the fact that nobody could find Leo Stahl afterwards left everyone with a pretty good guess.

Apparently the killer was still hiding out somewhere in town as well. At first everyone thought Nathan falling off the walkway by Craterside Supply was an accident... then they found the knife in his back. Even with Katharine's help, Simms and Stockholm weren't able to find the lunatic. She must have found one hell of a good hiding spot, and stocked up on stealth boys. It's actually how I used to conduct business as well; stealth and explosions, though I threw some sniping into the mix too. I might've been flattered the psycho was putting my style to good use, if she wasn't using it on my town.

After my fourth day in somewhat solitary confinement, I managed to escape from the clinic. Stubborn old Doc Church wouldn't let me even try to stand before that, and he probably still wouldn't if he were around, but that wouldn't be a problem for at least two hours. He'd gone out, he had at the same time the last couple days as well, to get blitzed at Moriarty's. The stress of the crazy chick around town must've been getting to him. I could only imagine how the rest of the town was taking it.

Three minutes after I heard the Doc leave that day, I forced myself up and stumbled into his office, trying to remember how to properly use my feet while ignoring the pain. I grabbed one of the syringes of Med-X and a couple stimpacks off his counter, pumping myself full of drugs before heading out. It helped more than usual, since Church never seemed to give me a full dose. Said he didn't want to risk getting me addicted to it. It was nice not to ache all over again though, I could barely feel my fractured bones... hell, I could barely feel anything. I made my way outside with nothing more than a limp, and that was only because I was still trying to remember how to walk. The Med-X clouding my mind didn't do much to help that either.

I dropped onto one of the barstools outside the Brass Lantern and almost toppled over. Luckily the person to my right grabbed my arm and steadied me before that happened. I didn't need a new injury to explain to Church when he got back from the saloon. I turned to thank them, but ended up cursing in their face after seeing it. I looked back at the counter and leaned on it, just to keep myself steady.

"Are you ever going to stop stalking me?" I asked Katharine, who was sipping on her Nuka-Cola and apparently ignoring my lack of gratitude.

"I've been here for a while, you're the one doing the stalking this time." She replied simply. "The Doc finally let you out, huh?"

"No, I cracked him one over the head with a pipe and left." I said, expecting her Regulator ways to kick in and actually take me seriously.

"Mmm-hm..." Was the only reply I got from her, she had turned to focus on the bomb. For some reason her outright ignoring me was more annoying than her taking everything seriously.

I glanced over my shoulder at Cromwell, who was standing in the water and preaching to everyone gathered around. Normally he had three or four listeners, today more tha a dozen people were attending... including people like Jenni Stahl who I thought had more sense than to believe the old coot. Though everyone probably was pretty paranoid with the killings, and Jenni had lost her brother Leo, so I couldn't really blame her for wanting some kind of hope.

Though that didn't stop me from being annoyed as hell about the fact she wasn't at her post behind the bar. The doc's food selection was crap, getting something edible was the whole reason I was risking Church's wrath.

The clunk of glass on the counter caught my attention. Andy was standing behind it, setting a Nuka-Cola in front of me.

"Feeling better?" He asked, his expression rather blank.

"Just until the Med-X wears off." I muttered, reaching into my pocket for some caps.

Andy just shook his head when I offered them to him. "It's on me. I know what it's like being cooped up in the Doc's place for too long. The stuff he gives you might be healthy, but it still tastes like liquefied mole rat feet."

I started to laugh, but it quickly changed to a cough. "Thanks." I said once the choking had quieted, dropping a few caps onto the counter. "I'll pay for the cakes though."

"You never change." He grinned, tossing a box of Fancy Lads on the counter, apparently having gotten them at the same time as my cola.

_Looks like I'm getting predictable with age. Great._ I thought, giving him a grateful nod and tearing open the box. Andy glanced at Cromwell for a few moments before heading back inside the Brass Lantern. It wasn't until the door closed behind him I realized I should have asked how he and Jenni were holding up...

I blamed by drugged mind for being so sluggish and chomped on a cake, checking to see what was keeping Katharine so quiet. She was looking at the crowd around Cromwell, with grim expression on her face. Her eyes fixed on someone, and I followed her gaze to Lucas Simms, who was leaning against a railing on the other side of the crowd. He was looking more serious than usual as well. Simms looked off to his left, and I caught sight of someone standing in the shadows of the clinic. The silhouette and glow of a cigarette made me sure it was Jericho. He gave Simms a shrug and looked around, assault rifle shouldered in no attempt to be subtle.

A triangle guard around the crowd... they were expecting trouble. Great. Of all the days for me to sneak out it has to be one when something bad is going to happen. I sighed, reaching back and grabbing my Nuka-Cola. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe they were just being overly paranoid and protective of the people of Megaton. It was broad daylight and in the middle of town for crying out loud, nobody would be stupid enough to try anything.

I was, however, proven wrong when the faint sound of a gunshot reached my ears. My mind barely registered what had happened when the Confessor's head suddenly erupted in a splatter of blood, brains and skull fragments that showered the crowd around him. There was a brief, shocked silence before people burst out screaming and began running in every direction. Over the sound, I didn't have a chance of hearing the second shot that brought down one of the settlers in the crowd, though the fact that his head exploded as well made it pretty obvious he hadn't just been knocked over in the chaos.

I got to my feet and looked up, scanning the pathways and rooftops. It had to be sniper fire, and the shooter had to be a damn good shot. A glint of light came from the path near Craterside Supply, bringing my focus to the person crouched and peering at the panicked crowd through their rifle's scope. I would have told Katharine, but she had ran off after the first shot. I grabbed the pistol on my belt, glad I had enough sense to grab it before wandering outside, and hurried to the closest ramp that led up to the sniper.

I almost fell more than once on the way up, and was cursing to myself the whole way. Nobody in good condition, trustworthy and handy with a gun was ever around when I needed them. I was the one that had to play hero, even though I'd proved more than once in my life I'm better off one of the villains. I'd preferred it, actually. Villains have less to give a damn about. Why the hell did I have to care about this stupid little town so much?

I was in front of Craterside Supply before I could come up with an answer. The sniper was still focused on the people below, so rushed the last few feet and planted my gun on the back of the shooter's head before they would have a chance to either hear me and turn around or take another shot.

"Put the rifle down unless you want to dive headlong over the railing." I said, trying to be threatening. Though it came out in more of a wheezy groan, since I hadn't moved in the last few days, still felt like crap and had just run about a hundred yards uphill. They seemed to get the message though, since they slowly placed the gun on the path and slid it away.

"Damn it." The shooter muttered, making me realize how much was odd about the situation.

Their outfit wasn't a vault one, it was recon armor. Their hair was short and silver, unlike the long black locks like the lunatic that chopped up Walter had. The voice was the biggest tip-off that something was awry though... the sniper was a man. I took this all in, trying to comprehend what it meant, when I felt the barrel of a gun pressed against my back.

A woman's voice came from behind me. "Lower the pistol. Now."

_Shit._ I thought, dropping my pistol. _This is the last time I do drugs when there's a psycho around town._


	4. Out of Options

"I said lower, not drop, you drugged-up idiot." The woman behind me snapped, removing her gun from my back and bending to pick up mine. It was Katharine. I just stared as she offered me my gun back, wondering what was going on. I must have looked outright dumbfounded since she rolled her eyes and shoved my pistol into my hand. "He's a mercenary, he's with us." She explained.

I glanced at the man with silver hair, who was on his feet and holding his sniper rifle again. He glared at me, his eyes almost the same color as his hair but with a tint of blue. I almost dropped my gun again after getting a look at his face.

"The hell you lookin' at me like that for?" He asked.

I quickly looked away, taking a few steps toward the ramp back down and rubbing my forehead. _Damn it, did I get drunk and send out letters inviting everyone I know to Megaton for a birthday bloodbath or what?_ I wondered, giving the mercenary another glance. There was no mistaking his face. I knew him, lifetimes ago. Like Katharine, he knew me for more than one. Hell, we lived them together, as allies. I thought he died long ago, but people thought the same thing about me more than once too. Now I knew what being on the other side of that misconception was like. It hurt like hell.

Then again, that might have just been the stitches I broke during the jog. Good thing the Med-X was still working.

Thinking it wasn't the best time or place for a reunion, I looked at Katharine. "What are we supposed to do now?"

She gritted her teeth. "I don't see many options. If Simms wasn't so damned stubborn..."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "What? You know how to stop this?"

She nodded. "Simms found a note from the Vaultie, it read 'You have two choices; Abandon Megaton or abandon life.'"

"Eloquent, isn't she?" I muttered sarcastically.

"You think he'd choose to leave Megaton, considering where he got the note from." Katharine said, donning an expression that might have actually been sincere worry. I didn't think it was possible from her.

"Where'd he find it?" The mercenary asked.

"His son Harden found it pinned to his shirt when he woke up this morning, but didn't know what it meant." She said, looking over the railing at the now mostly empty crater. "Scared the hell out of Lucas when he found out."

"Holy shit. She could have..." I trailed off, unable to finish my sentence. I went over to the railing and looked down as well. Mother Maya was on her knees in the irradiated water around the bomb, holding the Confessor... her husband's, headless corpse and sobbing.

"I think he should quit fighting and leave Megaton while there are still people left to save. This woman isn't normally the kind to leave survivors." The mercenary said simply.

Simms' voice came from the ramp. "As much as it pains me to say it, I have to agree with you."

The three of us turned to him. "We're evacuating then?" Katharine asked.

He nodded. "Katharine, start spreading the word around town. Steele, inform Stockholm and reinforce the gate. Make sure there's not an ambush waiting for us out there either."

"I'm on it!" Katharine replied, running off.

"This ain't what I signed up for, Simms, so I'll be expecting a little extra." Steele said shortly, heading down the path to the gate.

I stared at Simms, who was looking a little pale. It wasn't like him to give up, even at a time like this. Something was very wrong. "What happened?" I asked.

"Nothing." He replied quickly.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Bullshit. Something changed between Cromwell's head doing a grenade impression and now." I took a couple uneasy steps toward him. "What happened?"

Simms let out a sound similar to a growl and slammed his fist on the railing, bending the metal. I began to think pushing him was a bad idea, but he spoke before I could retract the question. "The bitch took them."

I blinked. "Them?"

"Harden and Maggie. They're both gone." He said, staring down at the crater. "Billy Creel looked ready to strangle me when he brought the note he found in his house that mentioned I had the chance to stop it from happening if I had just gathered the residents and left in the first place."

"God... so if we leave now, she won't hurt them?" I asked.

"That's what the note said." He muttered.

I was skeptical, to say the least. "And you believed that?"

"I don't have a choice, damn it. I already lost my wife, I'm not losing my son too!" He snapped, punching the railing again. Blood was dripping from the side of his hand, but he didn't seem to notice, or care.

I opened my mouth to say something, but thought better of it. He rarely mentioned his wife anymore. He lost her during an incident shortly after I arrived in town. Three wanderers came into town, walked up to the bomb... and suddenly started gunning people down left and right. Most people were only injured, but those that were caught in the initial gunfire, Simms' wife among them, were killed. The trio turned out to be a group of barely smarter than average raiders trying to take over the town. They never stood a chance, but still managed to get in. That was when Simms really took on the lawman role and started approaching everyone that came into town.

Not that it did much good this time around. I wasn't about to verbalize that observation though, he'd probably shoot me. Repeatedly.

"I'll start telling everyone to leave too." I said, quickly walking off.

---

I pushed open the door to Moriarty's Saloon, looking over the few drunkards that had no idea what was going on outside. Doc Church, luckily, was passed out at the table in the corner, so I wouldn't have to hear him chew me out. I walked up to Gob, ignoring the look Nova was giving me, the one she gave to any guy that entered the saloon, and waving her over.

"I need some help from you two." I said once Nova was close enough that I could hopefully speak without Moriarty hearing me. "We have to get these people to their senses and out of here. Simms is evacuating the town."

"What?" Gob wheezed.

"Ohh, Moriarty'll have something to say about that, darlin'." Nova commented.

"Fuck Moriarty." I said shortly, then considered the wording. "On second thought, don't. That'd be the worst possible punishment for anyone." I shook my head, trying to stay focused. "Look, if we hurry we can empty the place and he won't have the chance to try and stop us. I'm under the Sheriff's orders and in a bit of a rush. Dealing with Moriarty's shit is not how I want to spend my time."

"There aren't many people here yet. We might be able to get them out if we hurry." Gob said quietly, looking at Nova.

Nova stared at him for a moment, apparently unable to believe her ears. "You know what Moriarty will do to you if he finds you going along with this, Gob?"

"It'll be no worse than what I get from him any other day of the week." Gob muttered, a hint of anger in his voice.

"Gob..." Nova began, but Gob interrupted her.

"Look, I know it's a little crazy, but if we have to leave this place behind, we might be able to get out from Moriarty's damned thumb. It's only a shame the psycho didn't take him out on her rampage."

I chuckled at that. "I couldn't agree with you more, Gob. Are you both with me on this?"

Gob nodded, and Nova did too, albeit more reluctantly.

"Good. Nova, you-"

"The hell's going on here?" Moriarty said from the door into the back room.

_Damn it, figures he'd wander out now. There's no time to argue with this prick. _

I interrupted Nova, who was starting to say something that would probably cause more chaos. "I was telling them about an offer I had for you, wondering if they thought you'd be interested." I lied quickly.

"Offer?" He wondered, clearly skeptical. "What sort of offer?"

"Your favorite kind."

He grinned, gesturing me to the back room. I quickly went around the counter and into the back room, closing the door behind me. Moriarty was leaning over his computer, turning it off.

"How many caps are we talking, and what do you want in exchange?" He asked, not bothering to turn from the screen.

"One." I said, taking my pistol from its holster and aiming it at Moriarty's head. He hadn't even started to face me when I squeezed the trigger, putting a bullet squarely in his left temple and watching him drop onto the ground. "A bit overpriced for the life of a bastard like you, but it made things easier so I'll take it regardless." I said to his corpse, before walking back to the front.

"Moriarty's in a very agreeable mood. Everyone is to head to the gate for evacuation, so start moving them out of here." I said, gesturing around the saloon.

Nova and Gob exchanged a glance that suggested they knew exactly what had happened to make Moriarty agreeable, but said nothing. Nova started explaining the situation to the more sober patrons, while Gob attempted to wake Doc Church from outside of his swinging distance. I did what I could as well, even though my limbs were beginning to ache again. The Med-X must have been wearing off. Great.

---

I arrived at the gate with the people from the saloon, the ache of my body steadily growing into a throb. I winced with every step, wishing I had another dose of Med-X so I could get to where ever we were going without collapsing in pain. Simms was in front of the gate, looking over the crowd. If he was making sure everyone in town was here, there might be a problem. Mainly the lack of Moriarty. Though if Simms realized he was absent, he didn't let it show.

"All right everyone, stay together. Gunmen, take your positions around the group." Simms yelled, starting out of the gate.

I made a note of our quickly thrown together formation as we left. Simms took the point, Katharine and Steele taking the front left and right. Jericho and Billy Creel were covering our flanks, and a few various others, like myself, had their basic 10mm and .32 pistols drawn. I looked up at Stockholm, who was watching us depart from his perch atop the gate with his sniper rifle resting on his shoulder.

The machine that controlled the gate started up, making a few people look back as the gate lowered and closed with a clang. Most of them turned away, muttering things I couldn't understand, but something caught my interest. There was a chair off to the side of the gate, it had been there for as long as I could remember, but the thing draped over the seat was new. It took me a moment to realize what it was.

"Oh hell." I mumbled, looking at Stockholm atop the lookout point. The sniper rifle should have been a dead giveaway, so to speak. Stockholm always used a hunting rifle, and his post had a great view of the bomb in the crater. The person on top of the gate wasn't Stockholm, his corpse was laying on the chair by the gate. The current gatekeeper was the Vaultie.

I swore, keeping one eye on the lunatic. I couldn't risk saying anything. She could have a rocket launcher on standby up there. Or worse, a fat man. I risked a glance at the people around me. A fat man could kill everyone here before they even knew it was coming. My throat dried out at the thought and I struggled to swallow, hoping she wasn't planning on murdering everyone left, she got what she wanted after all.

I tripped over something since I was more focused on the psychopath watching us than where I was going, and felt someone steady me. I muttered a thanks, still not turning my gaze from her.

Gob's raspy voice came from my side. "We're safe from the killer now, just raiders to worry about around here, and we've got some good bodyguards. Try to relax."

"Relax? You're nuts, Gob." I replied, noticing the lunatic raising her rifle in the distance. Light reflected off the scope's lens, being aimed in our general direction. _Crap, don't tell me she's going to have even more target practice on us._

The sound of a gunshot came from the direction of Megaton and someone nearby cried out in pain. I swore, tackling Gob to the ground just before gunfire roared all around us.


	5. Names of the Past

The cries of fear, pain and deafening gunfire left a ringing in my ears long after it stopped. I looked around slowly, noticing our group had broken formation. Though considering how many wastelanders were involved, it wasn't that surprising. They weren't exactly trained for this sort of thing. Not seeing any of their corpses was a nice surprise though.

"Ha. That was so damned predictable I'm sorry I was ever part of them." I heard Jericho laugh as he approached me. "Know what I mean?"

"Yeah. Sure." I mumbled offering him a hand. He gave me a hard pull to my feet but I almost fell right back over from the pain shooting through my legs.

"Stockholm got a great shot. Blew the lead guy's brains out even from that distance, no wonder Simms made him the gate guard. Never seen a sniper with that much talent in all my days as a raider. How about you?" Jericho laughed again, grinning. Spilling blood always did make him happy, regardless of who it belonged to.

I looked back at where the fake Stockholm was, in the distance still perched atop the gate. It would have taken a lot of skill for a headshot from that far. I would have only been able to hit the guy's torso... but then again, I was out of practice. "Yeah, talented. You okay, Gob?"

The ghoul pushed himself up, glancing at the corpses of the raiders that attacked. "Fine... just a little surprised."

I walked over to a couple of the corpses, picking up their weapons. Even if I was in pain, I wasn't going to face the wasteland with just a pistol. Especially not in a group this size. I shouldered the hunting rifle I had gotten from one body and offered Gob the assault rifle that had been on the other. "You know how to shoot, right?"

Gob hesitated before taking it. "Of course... it's been a long time, but I remember a little." He looked over the weapon, checking the ammo and safety before hanging it over his shoulder by the strap.

"Just watch where you're aiming the damn thing." Jericho said. The look of irritation on his face made it obvious arming a ghoul was the last thing he wanted to see, but he said nothing about it. He knew as well as I did every gun can count at a time like this.

"Everyone here alright?" Katharine asked, running over. A few of the other settlers were with her, looking terrified. Everyone must have scrambled in the attack, I didn't see Simms or Steele anywhere.

"I don't know about alright..." I said, thinking about my sore limbs since they were geting worse again. "...we're alive though."

"I wish everyone could say that..." A blonde woman in the group with Katharine said. I'd seen her around town before, but never spoke to her unless I was wasted enough to attempt flirting at Moriarty's. Her name started with an L... but the only ones that came to mind were Leo and Lucas. Neither of those could be right. Lin? No, that was what I called Moriarty when I wanted to piss him off.

"Where's the sheriff planning to take us, anyway?" Jericho asked.

"That old Super-Duper Mart. It should be big enough to-"

"WHAT?!" Jericho and I yelled at the same time, but he's the only one of us that had the energy to continue. "Are you out of your fucking mind?! That place is a raider stronghold! Damn stupid Simms!" He yelled, running off.

"Jericho, wait!" Katharine called out, but he kept going. "Damn it... I should have known it was a trap when the Vaultie specified it as where to go in the note. I need to find anyone else that was separated from the group here, and someone to go ahead and offer Simms some support." She said, then looked at me. Not Gob, not one of her followers, me... the wounded, cursed villain that just wanted some Med-X, a Nuka-Cola and a nap.

I should have just flipped her off and told her where to cram her support, but no. I limped ahead like a lame brahmin to try and save the fucking day. Gob was nice enough to go with me, but that didn't keep me from thinking my normal, bloody thoughts about all the ways I wanted Katharine to die a painful death for causing me even more trouble.

---

By the time Gob and I arrived at the Super-Duper Mart, we were too late. Jericho made a point to say just that as he leaned against one of the Nuka-Cola machines and took a long drag on his cigarette. Then he laughed.

"You're gettin' way too slow, pal. Missed the whole firefight. Frickin' amateur raiders are to blame too, dyin' that easily. I tell ya, if I was as sure I was gonna die as that little pussy I had cornered, I woulda taken the bottlecap mine off the counter and rushed my attacker, blowing his sorry ass straight to hell along with my own."

I glared at him. "Don't scare me like that, you son of a bitch. By too late I thought you meant everyone was killed."

"Nah." Jericho shrugged. "Simms and his band of jackasses made it through alive. I swear, the guy's like a radscorpion, it'd take four clips to even come close to putting the bastard down for good."

"Thank Atom for that." I sighed. Then noticed what I said after Jericho gave me a funny look. "Damn Cromwell's getting into my head. Luckily a bullet got into his, only a shame it wasn't from my rifle."

"Driftin' back into a raider's mind, huh?" Jericho grinned.

"Hell no." I snapped, pushing the door to the mart open and going inside.

Gob's voice a my side made me jump, I had forgotten he was with me. Though how I could have missed his stink was the real shocker. "What did he mean?" He wondered.

I shook my head. "Nothing. Forget it." Steele was sitting on a counter to the right of where I came in, but I didn't see anyone else. He watched me from behind the glow of a burning cigarette and I scowled, walking over to him.

"The hell you looking at me like that for?" He asked, his voice rough.

I ignored him. "Where is everyone else?"

"In back. Those kids that went missing were locked up in the back room. Simms said for everyone to stay back there in case more raiders showed up." He explained. "You should go back with them."

"You heard him, Gob. Go." I said, not moving apart from my slightly shaky legs. It's damn hard to look intimidating when it feels like your knees could give out at any second. My expression seemed to be in the right place, at least. Gob took one look at my face and hurried off into the back without a word. Which left me alone with "Steele" and my very mixed feelings about seeing him again.

"Okay, ghoulie's gone, now why the fuck are you giving me that look?" He growled, hand drifting to the butt of the assault rifle leaning against the counter. Apparently, he still didn't know who I was. I was going to have to give him a reminder.

"Why?" My hand whipped from my side, slapping the cigarette out of his mouth. "Because all those years of telling your dumb ass to quit, you still haven't! Damn it, Matt! Those things are gonna kill you one of these days!"

For a second he just looked furious, but his expression slacked upon the name Matt. He stared at me. Seeing him at an utter loss for words was a nice change. I never used to be able to get him to shut the hell up. Of course, the first word that escaped his lips wasn't one I really wanted to hear.

"Tim?"

"Yes, but don't call me that." I said quickly, moving over to the counter next to him and sitting down on it before I fell down. Damn legs. "I gave that name up after I left. Just like you seem to have given up yours."

"No I haven't. I just think Steele sounds more impressive than Matt for a mercenary." He said, continuing to stare. "You know, I want to both hug and shoot you right now. What the _hell_ happened back then? Ian came back to HQ after the base you were at exploded and reported some strange shit."

"Strange how?"

"He was saying you went nuts and murdered both Peter and Kenny for a start. Was he telling the truth?"

I laughed, recalling the event. "Oh, that. Yeah, it's true."

Steele's jaw fell open. "How could you kill your allies?"

"Well, I started with Kenny." I explained. "First I took my magnum and blew his head off, then aimed higher and put a bullet in his oversized forehead. Peter went for his gun, but was lacking a helmet at the time so I decorated the wall with his brains. What little he had, at least."

Steele continued to gape at me. "Tim, what the fuck is wrong with you? I know you weren't fond of people but-"

"They had it coming." I interrupted him. "I know I sound like a heartless bastard. Hell, I am. You know what we went through together, neither of us were saints. After my assumed 'death' at the base I went through even more. My opinion of people in the wastes has been twisted so many times even I don't know why I do some things anymore. Right now, the only thing I'm certain of is how much I hate... that name. Timothy Steele died in that explosion."

Steele sighed, leaning against the wall and shaking his head. "I've been through a lot too, but it sounds like you've had a worse time. We'll have to exchange stories sometime."

"I'd like that." I said, grinning.

Reaching into his pocket, Steele removed a pack of cigarettes. "What do I call you, then?"

"If you can't stand to call me Brother anymore, just use the name I took up in Megaton."

"Which is?"

I opened my mouth, but no words came. What the hell was the name I'd been using in Megaton? Thinking back, I didn't recall anyone using it recently... maybe ever. I was skimming through my memories when Katharine arrived with a group of people. Their eyes darted to the ceiling, where dismembered bodies of the raider's victims were hanging by meat hooks. I hadn't even noticed those on my way in. I did, however, notice Jenni Stahl in the group.

"Jenni, come here a second." I called out. She tore her eyes away from the corpses and moved unsteadily in my direction. Sadly, with Katharine helping her. The rest of the group made their way to the back of the mart.

"W-What is it?" She stuttered, her eyes red and face stained with tears.

I had planned to ask if she knew my name, but after seeing the state she was in I couldn't bring myself to do it. It just seemed too selfish of a question at the time, so I sighed. "How are you holding up?"

She bit her lip. "I don't know... first I lose Leo to some psychopath... then my home... now Andy's gone... I don't think I can take much more of this. I know the wasteland is dangerous, but... this is crazy..."

"Andy's..." I trailed off, unable to believe he had been killed too. "...what happened to Andy?"

"You talking about that guy at the Brass Lantern?" Steele inquired. "He was with Simms, should be in the back with the others."

Jenni's expression perked up ever so slightly at that. "H-He's here? He's okay?"

"Go see for yourself." He said, waving toward where the other settlers had set up.

Jenni dashed toward the back, kicking fallen shopping carts out of her way as she went.

I slumped onto my side on the countertop, pain setting in fully now. "So much for that."

"You claim to be a heartless bastard one minute and show sympathy to her the next. I don't think you know yourself that well, bro." Steele commented.

"Shut up." I grumbled.

"Bro?" Katharine wondered. I hadn't noticed she stuck around, or taken the time to warn Matt about her. Sneaky pain in my ass. "You're related to... him?"

"No, we're not related. Not like Jenni and Andy at least. It's complicated so mind your own damn business." I said, not moving an inch. I don't think I could have anyway.

"Why did he call you 'bro' then?" She asked, obviously not getting the point. Damned Regulators, always giving me a headache. Trying to kill me is bad enough, but Katharine and her stupid, nosy questions when my limbs were throbbing was torture.

Cutting her tongue out seemed the easiest solution, but then I wouldn't be able to hear her scream in agony as I slowly broke every bone in her freaking body, starting with her fingers and continuing up one arm until I could roll it like a shirt sleeve. Then moving on to the other and each of her legs in turn. I caught myself laughing at the thought and quickly stopped. Shit, Jericho was right. My mind _was_ changing back to when I was a raider.

"He forgot his name, so it's really my only option." Steele said, making me want to kick him. He may not have known he was giving information to the enemy, but that was no excuse.

"Oh, really?" Katharine moved into my line of sight and looked down at me, her revolver in one hand. "He does have a few, doesn't he? Like Roy and Seth. I remember those two quite well."

Hearing those names escape her lips made me want to puke, and the feeling doubled when she aimed the gun at my face. She remembered and I was immobile. Son of a bitch... just when I thought my day couldn't get any worse.


	6. A Martful of Problems

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't finish you off right now." Katharine said as I stared down the barrel of her revolver.

"Because we've known each other for over ten years and you've grown too attached to me to put a bullet in my head?" I asked, offering a weak grin.

She thumbed back the hammer of her gun. "Do I have to remind you that every one of those years are ones I spent trying to get you in this position?"

"You mean on my back?" I smirked.

"No, you... DAMMIT!" Her muscles tensed and I flinched as she pulled the trigger. An empty click echoed in the Mart. I opened one eye and she fired twice more, making another pair of clicks. Jamming her revolver back into its holster she grabbed me by the collar and pulled me upright, which caused a _hell_ of a lot more pain than being shot would have. "You are so fucking lucky I emptied my gun before talking to you."

"I was wondering why you took your bullets out when Jenni ran off." Steele commented.

Katharine glanced at him. "You noticed?"

"If I thought your gun was loaded, you would've been on the ground and full of holes by now." He said. There was no anger or threatening tone in his voice, it just sounded to be a simple fact. Some things never change.

"You'd be foolish enough to shoot a Regulator?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Between you and him? No contest." He shrugged, lighting up a cigarette. "What's your problem with my Brother, anyway?"

"It would take a month or more to explain everything." Katharine said, letting me drop back onto the counter-top. I gasped in pain, doing everything I could not to just cry out. So I killed a few of her comrades, that was no reason to toss me around after I'd been blown up.

"You want an explanation? Fine." I groaned from where I had landed. "I killed people. A lot of them. More than I ever thought the wastes could hold in the first place. Occasionally with some torture beforehand, but that came with the job."

"Ah, when you were Roy." Katharine muttered, going through her pockets.

"Roy?" Steele wondered.

"Roy the Raider." I chuckled. "I thought it had a nice ring to it."

"You turned into a Raider?!" Steele exclaimed, leaning over to see my face.

"For few years there, yeah. Ended up making myself pretty well known." I glanced at Katharine, who had something in her hand but I wasn't sure what. "That's when our relationship started, right?"

Looking down at me and grinning, she grabbed one of my arms and stabbed something into it. I cringed in pain, but only for a second. It didn't take long for that familiar feeling of bliss to cross my body as the pain went away. "I hate you so much." She said, throwing my arm back onto the counter and walking away.

I stared after her, my mind clouding from the fresh Med-X in my system. I wondered why she would give me such a thing, but my mouth seemed to be channeling other thoughts. "You know, she has a great ass."

Steele laughed, grabbing my shoulder and pulling me upright. I wobbled a bit, but he held me steady. "You're pathetic, bro. Now tell me, were you seriously a Raider?"

"Yeah. It's not as bad as it sounds though." I mumbled, feeling the last traces of discomfort drift away.

"There's no good way to say someone's a Raider."

I couldn't help laughing. "Yeah, I suppose not. I gave that up years ago though. Went from Roy to Seth, like Katharine said."

"And what were you like as Seth?" He wondered.

I grinned at him, hopping off the counter and doing my best to stay upright. "Same as you, I went Mercenary. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find Doc Church and see how pissed off he's gonna be." Steele began to protest, but I ignored him and stumbled my way into the rear of the Mart.

---

Church was indeed pissed. I'd undone a lot of what he had fixed and he was forced to improvise mending it. Luckily there were quite a few medical supplies in the back of the store. Including more Med-X! Three cheers for drugged up Raiders!

After I was patched up again, I was left sitting on a counter in the back where I had a clear view of the bathrooms, Katharine glaring at me and Simms' little meeting which I got to be a part of. They didn't pay much attention to me, but they didn't bother to keep their voices down either, so close enough.

"We've got the kids back, but what do we do now? This place isn't exactly secure." Billy Creel asked, glancing at the back room where his adopted daughter Maggie and most of the other settlers were setting up for now.

"We have to find a way back into Megaton, obviously." Andy Stahl said, crossing his arms and looking at the Sheriff.

"Right." Simms agreed, nodding. "Finding out the situation is most important, someone has to go see if there's a way back into the town."

"I'll go." Jericho offered.

"No, we need you here to help protect the settlers. We don't have many able shooters, and we need everyone good with a gun here on guard." Simms explained. "We just need someone go and look around. It's not very far, so they shouldn't run into much trouble."

"How about you, Andy?" Billy suggested.

Andy shook his head. "Sorry, but I have to look after my sister. If Leo were still alive I would, but..."

"Forget it. We understand." Katharine said, hardly taking her eyes off me. If she didn't look like she wanted to start shooting in my direction, I might have thought she had a thing for me. Then again, that might have been the drugs in my system.

"I'll go." Someone out of my view said, and the whole group looked at the speaker. I knew the voice, but I couldn't believe who it was.

"Like we'd trust you with a job." Jericho growled.

"We're not exactly brimming with volunteers, Jericho." Katharine said. "I say we let him go. Simms?"

"Hmm..." Simms didn't answer right away, he glanced from the speaker to everyone else as if weighing options. "...okay, you're welcome to try."

Jericho scowled at him. "You can't be serious."

"At least it's someone expendable." Billy pointed out.

"True."

"All right, I'll be back in a couple hours then." The voice said.

"Maybe, maybe not." Jericho chuckled. "Hopefully not."

"Fuck you, Jericho." Katharine glared at him for a second before turning to the volunteer. "Good luck and be careful, Gob."

"Sure..." His raspy voice muttered as he departed.

--

The group started talking about something else, but I was abruptly distracted by someone sitting down on the counter next to me. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Until the Med-X wears off again." I said, sliding over to give my company more room.

"Be careful you don't get addicted to that."

"Nothing to worry about." I shrugged. "I don't get addicted to stuff."

Jenni leaned over and grinned at me. "Says the man who has ordered snack cakes and Nuka-Cola for breakfast every morning for the past five years."

"That's routine, not addiction." I pointed out, grinning right back. "It wasn't every morning, either... you didn't have both some days."

"Can't expect regularity in a wasteland." She said, leaning back. "Everything that's happening is proof of that."

"Yeah." I mumbled, staring at my feet and thinking for a few moments. "Jenni, can I ask you a stupid question?"

"Nothing's ever stopped you from doing it before now." She said with a laugh.

"What's my name?"

Her laughing stopped and she blinked at me. "What?"

"My name, Jen. I can't remember what it is. It's probably just a side-effect of the drugs and pain, but knowing would be nice." I said, hoping she'd believe that.

Jenni looked at the group nearby and sighed. "Sorry, I don't remember either. You told me once, when you first moved into Megaton, but that was years ago. Most people don't last a month, so I never bother to put names to faces."

"Damn." I sighed, resting my head against the wall. "If you don't even like me enough to remember my name, I suppose asking you on a date is out of the question."

She stared at me for a moment and shook her head. "I think the Med-X is making you say crazy things."

"Every morning for five years I sat at the bar outside the Brass Lantern, instead of going inside where I wouldn't have had Cromwell's preaching driving me bonkers, just to talk to you." I said, considering it a moment before laughing. "Oh hell, that makes me sound like a stalker or something, doesn't it?"

Jenni kept her face and tone rather serious. "Why are you telling me this now?"

"Two reasons. One, I have a good idea that before this is all over, I won't get the chance to tell you again. My life tends to get flushed down the irradiated crapper every five years and I end up with a brand new lifestyle whether I like it or not. I'd like to be honest with a few people before it happens again. Now if you'll excuse me, I have something to take care of." I explained, sliding my legs off the counter and trying to stand up. It was easier than I expected, but also a lot wobblier. I grabbed one of the carts laying on the floor to keep steady.

"What about the second reason?" Jenni asked as I slowly walked away.

"I'm so out of it I can't shut up to save my life." I said. Which was sad but true. Even though I had been a Raider, I avoided taking shit like Jet and Psycho. Maybe if I had, the Med-X wouldn't be having such an effect on me. Then again, I'd also probably not be alive. If I had been blitzed on Psycho when my time as a Raider ended, I don't doubt I'd be dead.

That, however, was the past. Which I needed to avoid for right now, the present was more important. Crazy murderers trump lamenting over drugs. Granted, the urge to get to the bathroom was overshadowing everything else at the moment. If only my damned legs would work properly.

---

From the few pre-war books I had read, way back then the bathroom seemed to be a place for solitude. Not to mention a hell of a lot cleaner. I envy the people from that time. Not just because of the cleanliness, but because a woman with a bad disposition and revolver probably never followed anyone and stood just outside the damned stall.

"For God's sake, Katharine! It five minutes alone to relax so much to ask?!" I snapped. The only thing stopping me from putting a bullet through the door was the fear she'd shoot back, or worse, look at me through the hole it left in the door.

"For someone like you, yes." She countered. "Now if we could talk like civilized people-"

I burst out laughing. "Regulators don't talk, they just go in shooting! You and your buddies proved that on a number of occasions!"

"Damn it, Roy! Er... Seth! What the fuck am I even supposed to call you?!"

"I don't know. I don't care. Just get the _fuck_ out! If you're that hell-bent on interrogating me go wait out front and I'll meet you there when I'm done!"

"The hell you will! Just stop bitching, answer my questions and I'll leave you in peace."

Opening fire was sounding better and better, but I decided to just give up and get it over with. "Fine, but make it quick. What do you want to know?"

"If you really _are_ the same person, for a start."

I groaned, she had to start with the stupid questions. "Of course I am... or do I have to give detailed information about every time you dodged one of my bullets?"

"No." She muttered, the harshness of her tone faltering. "You just don't act like I expected you to after seeing everything you've done. I figured you'd shoot anyone that looked at you the wrong way."

My thoughts drifted to Moriarty, who was probably still in the backroom of the Saloon in a puddle of his own blood and brains. "That's still true to some extent. I don't murder random people, though. Just ones that have it coming."

"You're making yourself sound like a Regulator."

"Don't compare me to the scum of the Wasteland." I growled. "You people kill anyone that falls outside your own warped sense of justice. I just kill anyone that pisses me off."

"You're saying your worse than us?"

"That depends on how you look at it. Anyone that doesn't cross my path is safe. You lot actively hunt people down. People who just want to be left the fuck alone."

The bathroom stall creaked as Katharine leaned on it. "Is that why you faked your death and moved to Megaton? Simply to start over?"

"Yes."

"I don't buy it."

"You wouldn't..." I stood up, made myself halfway decent and kicked open the door to the stall. "...but that's because Regulators have such a narrow view of people."

She glared at me. "How do you figure that?"

"You people never bothered me until I became a Raider. Why? Because I was a good... well, good might be a stretch... but at least a remotely-decent person before that. I changed. Regulators don't seem to think people are capable of that, which is why they seem to follow the motto; 'Do one bit of evil and we'll blow your brains out!'"

Katharine laughed. "That's rich, coming from you. Torturing wastelanders to death... attacking traders and towns..."

"Circumstances. That's another thing you bastards never consider." I said, walking out of the bathroom. "You only ever consider the outside view of someone's actions. If you knew a thing about the people you were after, maybe you'd think twice about gunning down half of them."

"Hold on a second!" Katharine shouted, hurrying after me. I managed to get as far as the back counter before she grabbed my shoulder. "Stop, damn it!"

I turned, the thought of smashing something over her head for some quiet crossing my mind, when I noticed everyone's favorite ghoul bartender running in our direction. "Gob, what's wrong?" I asked, shoving Katharine out of the way.

"It's Megaton." He wheezed, coming to a stop. "Where's Simms?"

"What happened to the town?" Katharine inquired, catching sight of Simms and waving him over. "Is the Vaultie still hanging around?"

Gob shook his head. "It's worse than that."

Katharine and I looked at each other as Simms arrived and got Gob's attention. We might have hated each other, but I could tell by the look on her face that we were both thinking the same thing; What the hell could be worse than a psychopath killing your friends and neighbors?


	7. Settling In

People in the wastes lie for a number of reasons, though usually in some desperate attempt at self-preservation. That's why when Gob told us about what he saw, I didn't fully believe him. I believed there was trouble, certainly, but not that it was as bad as he put it. Of course, standing along the wall around Megaton and peering into town through one of the gaps, I learned something very unique about Gob. Unlike everyone else in the wastes, he's a master of understatement.

"So, am I the only one that realizes how screwed we are?" I asked, stepping away from the gap and glancing at Simms.

He just stared into town, expression distant. "I can't believe this."

"How in the world could that many Raiders have gotten into the town so soon after we evacuated?" Katharine wondered aloud as she crossed her arms and glared at me, as if it was somehow my fault. Sure, blame the ex-Raider.

"I was blown up and bedridden for half a week, so stop looking at me like that." I grumbled, glancing back into Megaton.

She walked over, lowering her voice so Simms wouldn't hear. "How do I know that you haven't started all this and that the Vault-dwelling lunatic is even in town? I haven't seen her since arriving, and the only person that claims she's behind this is you."

"You think I killed Walter and all those other people, blowing myself up as cover?" I asked with a laugh. I knew Regulators were stupid, but that had to be a record. "That's just insane. What about the people that died while I was in traction?"

Her tone remained serious. "Oddly enough, they all died when Doc Church had left the clinic and nobody was around to keep an eye on you."

My amusement vanished. That little bit of info was news to me, but it couldn't have given her enough to suspect me of all this shit. "I had broken bones, how could I have moved?"

"You're moving now, aren't you? Hell, I've seen a Raider attack people after being shot, stabbed and having one of his hands taken off."

I swallowed, remembering the incident she was talking about. It hadn't been pretty, but it did prove that with the right drugs, someone in my condition could have pulled it off. "Okay, I'll give you that, but... but what about Cromwell? I was sitting right next to you when his head popped."

She nodded. "He never walked around in the middle of a sermon, did he?"

"Not that I saw, but what does that have to do with..." I trailed off, realizing what she was getting at and felt my blood run cold, even through the Med-X.

"You remember when you made that improvement on the shotgun trap and set up a sniper rifle that could be fired remotely? Setting one of those up and then seeking me out before you set it off wouldn't be too hard." She leaned closer. "Given your history, I don't think I'd be in too much trouble for just gunning you down on suspicion."

"Damn it." I growled, fingers twitching as I held back the urge to take my pistol and empty the clip into her skull. Not that it would have done much good in her case. After all, for a headshot to be fatal the target needs a brain, which the Regulator was obviously lacking if she honestly thought I had a hand in all this. I'd done a lot of stuff in the past to warrant it I suppose, but it had been over five years since I'd done anything _too_ bad, with the exception of murdering Moriarty, but that was only a bad thing depending on who you asked.

Taking a deep breath to calm myself down and keep my voice low, I leaned a little closer to her face. "Listen, I know you hate my guts and I don't really blame you. I certainly hate myself for some things when I look back on my life. This though... Megaton... ever since I arrived I did everything I could to settle down my crazy life. It was a little dull, I admit, but that's what I liked about it. No daily gunfights with raiders, no oversized radiation-made freaks, a mostly decent population... this place was the first place I could really consider a home in years. I'd sooner let Super Mutants take me than let these fucking raider bastards or anyone else ruin the lives of these people!"

"You two almost done chatting? We really need to get back to the mart before someone notices us." Simms said, staring at us for a moment before moving away from the wall.

"Yes." I said, following after him before Katharine could say anything.

xxx

"Then what the hell are we going to do?" Billy Creel demanded, slamming his fist onto the countertop and sending a burst of dust into the air, which made Andy sneeze.

"Not do anything reckless for a start." Simms said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. "Charging in will just get us killed."

"Not to mention we're lacking many decent guns." Katharine pointed out, holding up her revolver. "As much as I love this thing, I'd sooner have a shotgun or assault rifle to take out a group of raiders that large."

"Okay, so if we got a few of those we'd stand a chance?" Andy asked.

"It would be a start."

I yawned, sitting in the corner and trying not to nod off as they talked about where to find some better guns. I had a couple ideas of my own about where to find a few, but before I could consider whether or not to mention them, someone kicked my leg.

"It really as bad as all that?" Jericho asked, his voice lowered so the others wouldn't hear.

Glaring up at him for a second, I nodded. "It's hard to believe, but yeah."

"How many exactly?"

"I counted about twenty, and that was with a limited viewpoint. No telling how many there really are."

"Shit." Jericho shifted his feet uncomfortably. "I've never heard of that many workin' together before."

"Neither have I." My thoughts drifted back to when Jericho and I ran together... there were a little over a dozen in our group, and there were plenty of tense moments on a daily basis. If we were lucky, maybe something would happen in Megaton to trigger a brawl and the problem would take care of itself... but then, we weren't lucky. Especially not me. Ever.

"Any bright ideas, Roy?" Jericho wondered.

I scowled at him for using that name. Though it's not like he knew me by any other I was aware of. That's the problem with aliases, keeping who knows what name straight can be a headache and a half. "I might know where we can get some better weapons, but I'd have to confirm it with someone first."

"Who?"

"That's a secret... and also the biggest problem." I sighed, struggling to stand up. "The bastard's nowhere near here and I'm not exactly in top form for a road trip."

"If you need a good gun with you, I'm up for some action." Jericho offered with a grin. "Beat sittin' around here playin' guard dog."

I considered taking him up on it, but figured it was a bad idea since the other person I had in mind to join me probably wouldn't get along with him. "Thanks but no thanks, Jericho. I'd rather know someone halfway reliable is protecting these people." I said, giving Katharine a sour look during the latter half.

"When the fuck did I ever give you the impression I'm reliable?" He asked, confusion apparent on his face.

I just grinned at him, then started to walk off. "Tell Simms I've gone after a lead on some weapons, and that if I'm not back in two weeks, I'm most likely radroach chow. Later, Jeri."

xxx

After securing a few more doses of Med-X from Doc Church when he wasn't looking, since I didn't feel like hearing him bitch about going into the wastes in my condition, I began hunting for my potential bodyguard. I found him just outside, leaning against one of the old Nuka-Cola vending machines with a cigarette in his mouth.

Even after all these years, my feelings on some things hadn't changed a bit. "Am I gonna have to pitch your ass in the Potomac to make you stop smoking?"

Matthew gave me a sly grin. "You tried that once before, remember? Didn't work then, not gonna work now."

"Yeah, probably not." I shrugged, pulling open the vending machine. There was a lone Nuka-Cola on the top shelf. "What are your plans, then?"

"Well, Simms paid up for the Megaton job, but hasn't agreed to keep me on as a guard here yet. I might stick around for a little while though, since you're here and... you know, alive."

"Things are looking up." I said with a laugh, popping open the bottle and taking a drink. It was hotter than fresh piss from baking in a vending machine under the scorching sun all day, but at least it tasted better. "If that's the case, I've got a job offer for you."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Work for you, huh? Alright, I'm listening."

"The people here don't have the equipment they need to take back the town. I have an idea of where to get some, but I don't stand a chance of getting to where I need to alone. At least not while half-broken and loaded on Med-X." I explained. "You'd be my bodyguard until we got the stuff and delivered it back here."

"Sounds simple enough. What's the pay?"

"How does a new sniper rifle sound? The one you have looks pretty shoddy."

Matthew frowned, unstrapping the rifle from his back and holding it up. "What the hell are you talking about? This thing is in top shape."

"That doesn't make it any less of a piece of junk. Have you even _tried_ to fix up the thing?" I wondered, tossing the empty bottle over my shoulder before taking the weapon from him and looking through the scope, aiming into the distance.

"All these years, and you haven't changed one damn bit." He said with a sigh. "Still obsessed about customizing guns."

"Damn straight. Just because a gun is usable, doesn't mean you can't make it better. If not for some of my upgrades, I'd be dead by now." I thought for a moment, then took a shot at a molerat in the distance out of frustration. "Granted, if some had actually worked properly, so would Katharine."

"Your aim needs work, bro." Matthew commented as the molerat scampered off behind a rock.

"No, just your piece of crap does. I would've made the shot with mine." I said, handing it back to him. "So what do you say?"

"That insulting the guy your trying to hire is a stupid way to do it..." He said, then shrugged. "...but it's not like I have any better offers. I'm in."

"Good, you get paid when the job is done."

Matthew frowned at me. "I prefer payment up front."

"Sorry, but that's not how this job goes. You gotta have some trust in your little brother." I smirked. "Besides, if I don't pay up afterwards, you can shoot me. That work?"

"Oh for... fine, fine. I'll wait for the payment." Matthew hung the rifle over his shoulder by the strap. "When do we leave and where are we going?"

"Now, and Rivet City."

An amused voice came from the mart doorway. "Sounds like fun, especially with the chance to shoot you involved. I'll tag along."

I turned to glare at Katharine. "What the hell for? I'm not going to pay you too."

"You really think I'll let you out of my sight after everything you've done? Not a chance. I'm gonna make damn sure you don't go off and get killed before I can execute you myself." She said, crossing her arms and walking by.

"Oh yeah, that makes prefect sense." I muttered sarcastically. "How about a bribe? How much would it take for you to stay here?"

"Nothing you can offer could make me stay here while you go off and do God-knows-what in the wastes."

_An entire clip into each of your kneecaps might._ I thought, touching the grip of my pistol before forcing myself to stop. _No, bad idea. Wait until we're clear of the mart, then shoot her. No backlash from Simms that way._

Matthew raised a questioning eyebrow at me, and I shook my head. "Alright, an extra gun couldn't hurt. Just keep in mind that you don't need to aim at me this time around."

She glanced over her shoulder, an odd grin on her face. "That goes double for you, Tim."

I gaped at her. "Where the hell did you hear that-" I began, but glancing at Matthew he quickly turned and started walking after her. Great, they'd been chatting. About me. Fan-fucking-tastic. Who knows what fuel that idiot added to the fire.

Sighing, I followed after them. Without a doubt, this was going to be one _pleasant_ trek through the capital wasteland.


	8. A Riveting Endeavor

The idea to execute my favorite regulator was never carried out. Of course, if it had, that would have been things going according to plan, and I'm _never_ that lucky. Shortly after we were clear of the mart, a family of molerats suddenly rushed us. A big family. Let me tell you, they may not be the most dangerous creature in the wastes, but when you see about two dozen of the bastards charging at you and all you have is a couple clips for a hunting rifle, running away screaming isn't that embarrassing of an option.

Unless of course you find out later it was only four molerats and you were previously seeing quadruple thanks to a fresh shot of drugs and zero tolerance for the stuff. I swear, if I didn't consider Matt a brother, I probably would have shot him for laughing so much. To make things worse, the sound of his laughter attracted the attention of a group of raiders. The shooting started and we were off running again.

The whole damn trip was like that. Attacked, flee, fire back a few rounds, minute breather, cue more creatures trying to do horrible things to us. I don't know how we made it all the way to Rivet City without someone dying horribly. We'd all been shot at least once, me being the lucky bastard with the most holes blown into him, of course. One in my right leg, two in my left arm and one in my side. The last being the most recent. Like, five seconds ago recent.

"Extend the damned bridge already you son of a bitch!" Matthew screamed into the speaker. Not because he was freaking out about my freshest wound, he hadn't noticed the newest addition to my bullet holes. Hell, I wouldn't have either if not for Katharine pointing it out. All I could feel was a fresh dose of Med-X running through my veins and I was beginning to think it would be a suitable replacement for blood anyway. It was so relaxing, like I didn't have a care in the wasteland. The clouds looked much nicer than they usually did for such a hectic day.

Wait, what was I talking about? Oh right, why Matt was screaming. He was panicking because of the trio of Super Mutants opening fire on us with a minigun and pair of hunting rifles. Not sure why. They were horrible shots. A flash of red blasted from my left arm again. Oh nice, a fifth hole. Wonder if I should go for half a dozen even though I was already in the lead.

"Get down, you moron!" Katharine snapped, grabbing my hole-free arm and pulling me out of the line of fire. The woman was no fun at all.

The bridge to Rivet City finally came out to greet us and we hurried over it. Things were getting kind of hazy to me at that point. All I really remember is making it to the side of the ship Rivet City was in, a security guard celebrating our arrival by blowing red confetti out of his ears and feeling a sense of accomplishment for actually surviving the trip. Then I decided it was time for a nap, took the guard's lead and dropped where I stood.

xxx

I awoke to someone uttering curses nearby. I tried to raise my head but couldn't find the strength to do it. My vision was blurry anyway, so I wouldn't have been able to see much even if I could.

A clang of metal cut the obscenities short and a familiar laugh filled the room. "Still in here and as pissed off as ever I see."

"I don't see why you're _not_." Katharine snapped. "This idiot brought us all the way out here to help those people, then goes and passes out from blood loss without telling us who or what we're even looking for!"

"He does have a bad habit of not sharing information... been that way since we were kids." Matthew said.

"You've known him for that long?"

"Yep. We looked out for each other when we were slaves, since nobody else would. Though I think I looked after him more since he's a couple years younger than me."

"Matt." I wheezed out, cutting off whatever Katharine had been started to say. "I keep secrets... you never shut up. We make a good balance that way."

"Whatever you say, Bro." He said with a laugh, leaning over me. "So, if you can stay awake long enough, could you tell us who we're here to see?"

I tried to sit up, but could barely shift an inch. Then decided movement was overrated anyway. "Not sure where she is, but as far as I know she's here somewhere. Her name's Moira Brown. Tell her... tell her the winds are shifting and a sandstorm is on the horizon."

"What's that mean?" Katharine wondered.

"She'll know, that's enough. Wake me when you're done with that." I muttered, before closing my eyes and trying to go back to sleep. Even with whatever they were talking about after I did, it didn't really matter. I was unconscious again within moments.

xxx

A sharp jab in my ribs cut that rest short. This time, Katharine was the one glaring down at me. "Well, there's a pleasant face to wake up to." I mumbled sarcastically, yawning.

"What are you trying to pull?" She asked, prodding me again.

"An all nighter, apparently. Certainly can't get any sleep around here."

Grabbing the front of my shirt, she pulled me upright. I hadn't really felt much until then, but once she did I all but screamed. There were no words that come to mind about how much everything _fucking hurt_. The pain in my left arm alone was enough to wish I was missing it just to cut down on the agony. Once I stopped screaming and tried to take a few shaky breaths, the aching in my chest became worse than my arm.

"Moira looked at us like we were crazy." Katharine told me. "I think that Med-X was impairing your thoughts, so I told the Doc to stop giving you it until we got a clear answer. Now, who are we _really_ supposed to be talking to?"

Ah, no Med-X. That explained why it felt like I was coming apart at the seams like an energetic three-year-old's teddy bear. Wasn't enough to keep me from sticking to my story with someone like her though. "Not sure, it should have been... wait, was she alone when you told her?"

Katharine frowned at me. "No, her bodyguard and a couple other people were around. Why?"

I smirked. Damn, even that hurt to do. "Don't worry then, the message was received if she played stupid. Just go get a room for the night, we'll worry about the next step tomorrow."

"What next step? God damn it, Roy... if you're plotting something I swear I'm going to-"

"If you're going to call me any of my old names right now, could it be Seth? I like that one more at the moment." I interrupted.

She scowled. "Fine, Seth, you try to pull a fast one on me, and I'll shoot you in the face. Happily. Hell, even if you don't, I might anyway once this is over. If only because it would feel so fucking _good_ to leave your corpse for the mirelurks."

"Noted. I'll explain the next step after I sleep some more. See you tomorrow? Bright and early, of course. Preferably before the bright part." I said, which resulted in being let fall backwards as she stalked out of the room. Though the pained cries coming out of my mouth from the roughness, I happened to catch sight of Matt peering through the doorway and quickly hurrying after her. Some help he was, letting her abuse me like that. Oh well. Now that I was on my back again, it didn't matter much. Resting up did. Especially if things went well.

xxx

Awoken again, this time by a slap to the face, started to shout "Would you people stop abusing the sleepy wounded man already?" but was interrupted two words in by the hand that hit me pressing firmly over my mouth. The owner of said hand, a scowling man in mercenary gear, leaned over me.

"Keep it down, idiot. What did you want and how the _fuck_ did you manage to do this to yourself? You always said you were a sniper because you were fragile, but this is just ridiculous." He said, pulling me up with one hand while keeping the other pressed against my lips too keep me from crying out in pain too much.

Weakly smacking his arm to move it away so I could breathe, he stepped back and frowned, waiting for my answer. He didn't look happy about being there, but then he didn't look happy about anything. Ever. Supposedly, according to him, it made him a better mercenary, or bodyguard as was the case at the moment. I thought otherwise. "Hello to you too, Jack. See you still haven't managed to work that stick out of your ass. Moira might be able to cook something up for you if you tell her about that."

"I ain't drinkin' anything that crazy woman mixes together, now answer the damn question." He snapped, eyes narrowing.

"Fine, fine." I said, trying to make a gesture with one arm but only succeeding in lifting it a bit and making it feel like it wanted to snap in half at the elbow. Gasping from that and making a mental note not to even think about moving right now, I decided to just skip to the point. "Do you know if there are any outposts active near here?"

Jack didn't show any surprise at the question, but he always was good at pretending to be a statue. "When I left, there were a couple not too far away. I think the closest was overrun by muties since then, dunno about the other. It was in a building along the Potomac. This side, just north of the second bridge."

That was easier than I expected. Usually it was hard to get anything from him. "Not gonna ask why?"

"There are only two reasons you'd want to know where one is. To try and rejoin the company or to avoid them." He replied blandly.

"Three reasons. You forgot raid them."

"Nobody's that crazy." Jack said, stared at me a moment longer, then finally his brow furrowed. "You've gotta be kidding me. Are you out of your mind, Seth?"

I would have shrugged, but that would have required movement. "You really have to ask?"

"God damn lunatic." He muttered, shaking his head. "What do you need that kind of artillery for?"

"Megaton was attacked while you were off skipping through the wasteland with Moira. Raiders took over the place, the residents that didn't get their heads blown off are holed up in the Super-Duper Mart right now. We need the firepower if we're going to take the town back." I explained.

Jack scowled, crossing his arms. "Shit. Figures I miss something like that. Moira was planning to go back to Megaton tomorrow, too. I'll have to convince her otherwise."

"Good luck with that." I told him, knowing how hard it could be to change the woman's mind. "Just go to the mart instead, Jericho or someone that'll recognize you and Moira should be guarding the front. We could use another competent gunman to assault those Raiders with, anyway."

"Right..." He grumbled, glancing at me. "...how're you planning to take on the Talon guys guarding that outpost in your condition? Sniper fire?"

"I have backup, just let me worry about that. You've got your hands full already." I reminded him, quietly wishing that sniping was an option. It wouldn't work under the circumstances though.

"Suit yourself. That all you wanted?"

"Yep. Thanks for being to cooperative, Jack. For a change."

He shrugged. "Don't read anything into it. I owed you one when you left Talon, so I figure this makes us even."

"Oh, right." I mumbled, having forgotten all about that. "Well, thanks anyway."

"Whatever." He grumbled, pulling open the door to the clinic, peering outside for a moment to see if anyone was around and then departing.

Sitting there quietly for a couple minutes, I went over details in my head. The location of the outpost, assorted reckless plans we could try, where what I had to snag before anything was... it was going to be a long day. A long, painful day. That, knowing how my luck was running lately, wouldn't even start with a Nuka-Cola and pack of Fancy Lad's snack cakes.

My stomach gurgled at the thought, which brought a thought to mind. How long had it been since I'd eaten? The time I was dosed up on Med-X was mostly a haze, but I was fairly certain I hadn't had anything since leaving the Super-Duper Mart. Considering that for a moment, I looked around the dim room and spied what I was after on the table that was miles away.

Okay, it was more like five feet, but being blown up, shot a few times and beaten up can really have a lasting effect. Especially if they happen in the span of... less than a week? Something like that. I think. Damned pain-killing mind-numbing drugs. By the Atom did I need some.

Slowly shifting myself and letting my legs topple limply off the side of the bed, I gritted my teeth, expecting another surge of agony. Thankfully, they didn't seem to be as bad off as everything else. They hurt, sure, but the pain in my left arm and chest was overtaking any aches they had. Carefully standing up and trying to keep my balance, I wobbled my way over to the table. Taking the pair of stimpacks that were laying on it, I jabbed one into each of my problem areas and felt slightly better. Very slightly. Just enough to move a little easier.

Listening for any sign the door was about to open and the Doctor walk in, I started gathering up what few stimpacks I could find as well as a couple doses of Med-X and bottles of Buffout. Grabbing myself a crutch from the corner, I started for the door before realizing halfway there that I was unarmed. Matt must have taken my pistol and rifle for safekeeping while I was out. He better have been the one to take them, at least.

Hobbling back to the table, I snatched up the closest thing to a weapon I could find in the room, a scalpel. Not what I was used to using, but better than nothing. Sliding that into my pocket and hoping I didn't accidentally stab myself with it while trying to walk, I once again started the long trek to the door and tried to remember the layout of Rivet City. It was almost as confusing as Megaton half the time, though I recalled that a place Muddy Rudder was on the bottom level. That would be easy enough to get to, falling down a few stairs would be a breeze the way I felt. They just better have food and be willing to take bottles of Buffout as payment without wondering too much about where they had come from.


End file.
